AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) - Maine forest rangers could carry firearms and receive training under a bill lawmakers sent to Republican Gov. Paul LePage’s desk.
The House and Senate voted last week in strong support of the bill.
The issue of whether forest rangers should carry firearms has long been discussed in Augusta.
The latest bill would spend $130,580 on costs including firearms, ammunition, holsters and lockboxes. The legislation also funds a firearms training program for forest rangers.
The Maine Forest Service’s director in 2017 told lawmakers that rangers are often not in harms’ way.
The governor has 10 days once he receives a bill to veto, sign or let it become law. The House and Senate’s initial rounds of votes suggest the legislation has enough support to survive a veto.
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